Smiths Detection and Pangiam are collaborating on accelerating the development and adoption of open architecture for the aviation security market, a partnership that leverages Smiths’ deep expertise in threat detection and screening technology with Pangiam’s strengths in computer vision and artificial intelligence.
The work with Pangiam is part of Smiths Detection’s new open architecture initiative, called the Ada Initiative, which is initially focused on the aviation security checkpoint and welcomes third party vendors to integrate their algorithms with the company’s security detection hardware.
The collaboration with Pangiam will include the transfer of 3D images from Smiths Detection’s HI-SCAN 6040 CTiX computed tomography checkpoint baggage scanner to Pangiam’s computer vision technology, “thereby enriching the information and analysis available to screening authorities,” Smiths said. A series of technology demonstrations are planned that Smiths said are “designed to rapidly develop and field new capabilities, unlocking further innovation.”
Smiths said that laboratory demonstrations with Pangiam began in August, and based on lessons learned, advanced testing will begin at international airports by early 2023. If successful, operational deployments will follow, it said.
Pangiam in 2021 announced Project Dartmouth, a collaboration with Google Cloud to use AI and pattern analysis to sift through large amounts of data in real-time collected by baggage scanners and other security detection equipment to identify prohibited items. Initially, the prohibited item detection is focused on weapons.
Open architecture initiatives are being pursued by airport and aviation security stakeholders and regulators in Europe and the U.S. Currently, security detection equipment deployed at airport security checkpoints is reliant on the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for upgrades and technology improvements. The promise of open architecture is that third parties with enhanced algorithms such as weapons and currency detection, could plug-and-play with deployed equipment, giving owners and operators of the equipment more and less expensive options to add new capabilities without being beholden to the OEMs.
“While Smiths Detection has a successful record of delivering its iCMORE automatic threat recognition technology for example with weapons, currency and lithium batteries, one of the primary objectives of OA is to offer choice,” says Richard Thompson, vice president of marketing for Smiths Detection. “Through the Ada initiative, we enable this choice by allowing customers the freedom to work with companies such as Pangiam.”